Explore Featured Degree Options in Education

The online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education prepares you to become a transformative K–12 teacher. Through live online classes and enriching field experiences in your community, you can earn your MAT in less than 18 months without relocating.

Vanderbilt University's Peabody College offers an online Master of Education in human development counseling with a specialization in school counseling for students interested in becoming school counselors and making a meaningful difference in K–12 settings.

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Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Connecticut

Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Last update: 11/28/2018)

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Prerequisite Coursework in Connecticut

All states require that certified teachers have at least a Bachelor’s degree. In addition, Connecticut candidates must successfully complete a state-approved educator program of general academic and professional education at a regionally accredited college or university.

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Connecticut Teacher Certification Programs

Teacher Certification Programs can be taken online or on-site. They typically include an educational theory and classroom skills seminar and a fieldwork component of student teaching in the area. A list of accredited teacher preparation programs can be found on the Connecticut Department of Education website.

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Required Tests for Connecticut

Connecticut requires the Praxis I Core academic skills tests in reading, writing and mathematics and the Praxis II Subject Test for your subject area to show subject area competence. Foreign Language teachers are required to complete the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Assessments.

Initial Teaching Certifications

To become certified as a teacher in Connecticut, you will need to complete the appropriate number of college credit hours, a teacher preparation course, and the standardized tests specified below. If you have a teaching credential from another state, you may be able to use an interstate reciprocity program to become certified in Connecticut. Visit the Connecticut Department of Education Bureau of Certification page to learn more about getting your Teaching Credential in Connecticut.

Connecticut has three levels of certification: the Initial Educator Certificate (3 years), the Provisional Educator Certificate (valid for 8 years), issued after at least 10 months of “appropriate successful teaching experience” in a Connecticut public school or 30 months of equivalent experience elsewhere, and the Professional Educator Certificate (renewable every 5 years), issued after at least 30 months of successful teaching in a Connecticut public school and completion of additional course requirements.

Earn recognition of your ability to develop and deliver a memorable teaching experience when you receive a premier certificate from Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, in association with HarvardX, upon successful course completion.

Alternative Certification in Connecticut

Connecticut offers the Alternate Route to Teacher Certification, a program created in 1988 to encourage career professionals to join the teaching workforce. The program requires a Bachelor’s degree with a major in the desired subject. The program can be taken either full-time in the summer, or on weekends between October and May.

The Troops to Teachers program provides an alternative route for veterans who would like to transition to a teaching career.

Connecticut Teacher Certification Information & Links

Transferring Your Certification

Certification Reciprocity in Connecticut

Interstate reciprocity is a program that allows teachers certified in one state to teach in another state. Connecticut, however, does not have reciprocity with any other state. Connecticut does participate in the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement (NIA). Under this agreement, it can waive specific coursework requirements and accept completion of a state-approved educator preparation program at a regionally accredited college or university from another state, or a minimum of 30 months of successful full-time experience under the other state’s valid educator certificate (at least equivalent to a Connecticut Initial Educator Certificate).

More information about this arrangement can be found on the Connecticut Department of Education website. For more specific questions about your situation, contact the Connecticut Department of Education.

Connecticut Teacher Salary and Incentives

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average teacher in Connecticut makes $69,397 per year. Connecticut is one of the highest paying states to teach in, although it does not provide any additional pay for teaching in high-demand districts or school subject.

Connecticut Teacher Benefits and Retirement

Connecticut maintains a program called Teachers Retirement Board (TRB), which administers the state retirement program and aims to provide teachers with the best pension benefits. Connecticut teachers can retire at age 60 after 20 years of service, or at any age after 35 years of service (25 of which must have been in Connecticut). Early retirement is possible at 55 after 20 years of service, or at any age after 25 years of service (20 of which must have been in Connecticut).

Connecticut Teacher Shortage Areas

The United States Department of Education defines a Teacher Shortage Area (TSA) as a subject matter or grade level within a state in which there is an inadequate supply of elementary or secondary teachers. The shortage may be caused by teaching positions that are unfilled or are filled by teachers who have temporary certification or teach in in an academic subject other than their area of preparation.

Career Advancement

Professional Development for Connecticut Teachers

The Connecticut Department of Education is strongly committed to professional learning. Specific professional development goals are set at the district level, although a minimum of 18 hours annually is required. More information can be found on the Connecticut Department of Education’s Professional Development page.

Benefits of a Master's Degree in Connecticut

It is no longer enough to just have years of experience in teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, the careers of teachers increasingly depend on their results in the classroom. A master's degree in the field of education can give you more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as more hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor. After a Master’s program, you will be able to achieve better results in the classroom and have more job security and higher pay.

Teachers with a Master’s degree typically receive a higher salary than their counterparts without one. According to the CONNCAN Teacher Database, on the average, a teacher with a Master’s degree makes $4,000 more than one with only a Bachelor’s degree.

Explore Featured Program Options in Education

The online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the USC Rossier School of Education prepares you to become a transformative K–12 teacher. Through live online classes and enriching field experiences in your community, you can earn your MAT in less than 18 months without relocating.

The 8-week Teaching and Learning Strategies for Higher Education online short course is delivered by Harvard’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, in association with HarvardX. Students in this course will engage deeply with the most relevant research on effective teaching methods in the higher education context, while refining their own practices, portfolio, and teaching philosophy.

Vanderbilt University's Peabody College offers an online Master of Education in human development counseling with a specialization in school counseling for students interested in becoming school counselors and making a meaningful difference in K–12 settings.